Mail-chute.



EHRLIGH. MAIL GHU'IE.

APPLICATION I'ILBD $113.2, 1909.

Patented Oct. 26, 1909.

- inventor. I kefirh h Ahk'Y.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LEO EHRLICH, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR TO U. S. MAIL CI-IUTEEQUIPMENT COMPANY, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, A CORPORATION.

MAIL-CHUTE.

Original application filed August 10, 1907, Serial No. 388,008.

Specification of Letters Patent.

1909. Serial No. 475,684.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LEO EHRLIoH, a citizen of the United States,residing at St. Louis, Missouri, have invented a certain new and usefulImprovement in Mail-Chutes, of which the following is a full, clear, andexact description, such as will enable others skilled in the art towhich it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which-Figure 1 is a detail View illustrating a mail chute to which my improvedclosure has been applied; Fig. 2 is a side elevational View illustratingsaid closure.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in closures forthe apertures of mail chutes, the object being to provide the closurewith an extension extending to the exterior of chute whereby saidextension may be locked in different positions and the closure locked inits open or closed position.

In the drawings, 1 indicates the section of a mail chute, a portion ofwhich is designed to be swung laterally on hinges, the movable partbeing secured home by a locking bar 12. This bar 12 is operated by alever 15 whose lower end is locked against movement when the chutesection is closed, by a hinged plate 16 carrying a lock 17, the bolt ofwhich is designed to be thrown behind the flange 7 on the forward edgeof the chute section. hen lever 15 is down, the plate 16 covers the endthereof and prevents the operation of said lever, and also cotiperateswith a pin 18 on the bar 12, whereby when said plate 16 is locked in itsclosed position the lever 15 camiot be operated nor can the bar 12 bemoved vertically.

19 is a housing whose upper wall contains a mail-receiving aperture, and20 is a closure for said aperture, said closure being mounted on a rockshaft 21 as shown in Fig. 1. The end of rock shaft 21 is bent in theform of a crank whose end cooperates with a projection in the form of arivet head 22 arranged in the side wall of the chute so that the crankend of the rock shaft 21 may be sprung on one side or the other of saidrivet head for the purpose of holding the closure for the mail-receivingaperture in open or closed position, as the case may be. When the plate16 is closed, of course it is impossible to operate the crank end of therock shaft 21 and spring it over the projection 22, and thus if theplate 20 is open or closed it cannot be moved until the plate 16 isopened.

From the above description it will be observed that only a personauthorized to open the chute, to wit, one having a key to lock 17, canget access to the lever 15 and the crank extension of the shaft 21. Thenthe plate 16 is locked home, not only is the lever 15 'locked, but thecrank extension of shaft 21 is also locked, with the closure open orclosed as the case may be. Thus, unauthorized persons cannot tamper withthe closure 20 to move it.

This application is a division of an application filed by me August10th, 1907, Serial No. 388,008.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In a mail chute, the combination with a closure for themail-receiving aperture, of an extension projecting outside of thechute, and means cooperating with said extension to hold the closure indifferent positions.

2. In a mail chute, a closure for the mailreceiving aperture, anextension therefrom, and means arranged externally the chute forcooperating with said extension for holding it in different positions.

3. In a mail chute, a closure for the mailreceiving aperture, saidclosure having a crank extension, and means on the outside of the mailchute for cotiperating with said crank extension for holding it indifierent positions.

4. In a mail chute, a closure for the mailreceiving aperture, anextension from said .closure, means arranged externally the chute forcooperating with said extension, and a lock for locking the saidextension in its different positions.

5. The combination with a mail chute having a mail-receiving aperture,of a plate for closing said aperture, a rock shaft on which said plateis mounted, crank extension on said rock shaft, and a projection overwhich said crank extension may be moved; substantially as described.

6. The combination with a mail chute having a mail-receiving aperture, aclosure for said mail-receiving aperture, a rock shaft on which saidclosure is mounted, a crank extension on said rock shaft, a projectionover which said crank extension may be swung signature in the presenceof two witnesses, to hold said closure in an open or closed pothis 30thday of J anuary, 1909.

sition and a locking plate cooperatin with said drank extension toprevent moi lament LEO EHRLIGH' 5 thereof when said plate is locked;substan- Witnesses:

tially as described. F. R. CORNWALL,

' I11 testimony whereof I hereunto affix my LENoRE CLARK.

